The unwavering Japanese work ethic is famous (or should that be infamous?) the world over, with karoushi (death from overwork), let alone stress, a sadly not unheard of side effect.
So, with this in mind, it’s somewhat refreshing to see a salary man sneaking in some well earned reading when really he should be working.
Making one’s way around Asakusa’s crowded streets at the weekend can be supremely stressful to say the least.
And yet at the same time, with a seat and some assistance, it can also be really rather relaxing.
There is almost always talk about the likes of television and technology having a really terrible effect on the amount teenagers read; however, whilst there may well be a certain amount of truth in such suggestions, at least when it comes to manga, reading is nothing short of a requirement, with no opportunity for a perusal to be passed up.
Ever.
Japan’s high-tech toilets are often featured by the foreign media, but whilst well aimed washlets and the like are all well and good, the simple heated toilet seat is still the biggest bonus of most bathrooms. A water closet wonder that is even more welcome now that winter is well on its way, making the commode a terrifically comfortable place to type a few tweets whilst tackling a turd, or even dabble in a doze when doing a dump.
And for those who like to indulge their love of literature at the same time as offloading a log, help is also at hand, so to speak, as toilet giant Toto has opted to produce some paper featuring flowery language rather than flowers, allowing the perusal of a few poems when performing a poo.
Or, to be slightly more specific and somewhat less subtle, a shit and several senryu.
Urban farms may well suffer a little in regards to their allotted land, but at the same time they are incredibly convenient when it comes to the closeness of accommodation, and, in the current climate when carbon emissions are constantly being counted, a colossal amount of customers.
When it’s especially nice and comfortable in normally far colder November, there are certainly worse things to do than trek out to west Tokyo and enjoy a leisurely lunch,
lager,
and a lovely and relaxingly long read.
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